Why didn't WISC and WKOW cover the Democratic recusal and protest over the Republicans outrageous "reform" bill changing the states campaign finance laws? It was important for the public know for future reference what party was responsible for this open door to corruption, and what party fought it to the bitter end.
WPT's Here and Now thankfully stepped up with this short but respectful look at the Democratic recusal:
Rep. Peter Barca: "We'll be the only state in the nation ... we'll be the only one that will allow zero disclosure and NO DISCLAIMER." Rep. Latonya Johnson: "The real reason that I'm recusing myself from voting for this bill Mr. Speaker, is because it SUCKS. THIS BILL SUCKS.
Here and Now also put together a video feature covering theWPR and WPT Wisconsin Survey by St. Norberts College. It appears the public's not too happy with the direction Walker and the Republicans are taking Wisconsin. Better late than never? I wish that were so:
I've got a few selected video cuts that I feel should go on the record before right-to-work gets rammed down our throats by these know-it-all Walker Republicans.
Sen. Scott Fitzgerald openly and repeatedly admits Wisconsin is suffering a sluggish economy. That's a dramatically different message than the one our world touring governor Scott Walker is saying.
It also shows you how desperate Fitzgerald and the Republicans are right now, where they even have to throw right-to-work up against the wall. Video taken by the Devil's Advocates:
The next clip features audio from WPR and video from WPT's Here and Now. Shawn Johnson reports that Sen. Scott Fitzgerald said the cozy relationship between road contractors and union workers is driving up costs, which really means RTW will drive down costs. Here and Now's guest, former Republican representative John Gard (a guy I never agreed with), defended that good relationship between employer and employee, saying:
"...is that like a bad thing? It doesn't make sense as far as I'm concerned, from the standpoint employers and employee should not be in a constant state of combat. That is not productive...our per mile construction costs in Wisconsin is in the lowest 10 cost in the nation."
Gard must have forgotten Walker's promise to "divide and conquer" the unions. He would like nothing more than to have that constant employer and employee battle:
From Upfront with Mike Gousha, Democratic Rep. Peter Barca makes a great argument against right-to-work, while Rep. Robin Vos makes one dumb statement after the next, like:
"So one of the things I like to look at as we are going through this process; is right to work a good thing for Wisconsin? I believe it is."
Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca gave me a glimmer of hope with the following strong and nicely worded response that started with this:
"Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), who accused UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank of 'bringing Washington politics to Madison' for daring to suggest that there could be negative effects associated with the Republicans’ proposed $300 million budget cut to the University of Wisconsin System."
Here's the kind of fight I'd like to see:
“It almost appears as if Republicans are putting together a Nixon-style enemies list for anyone who dares to disagree with their agenda. As a result, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, our non-partisan elections watchdog, the co-owner of the Bucks and our university system have all been targeted by Republicans in recent months. It also makes you wonder who might be next. “The reality is that the Republicans won’t accept anyone telling them the truth – that their policies have been destructive to our economy, our students and our communities. If Republicans spent more time finding solutions ... maybe our state would not be lagging in jobs, personal income and other priorities important to the people of Wisconsin.”
Rep. Peter Barca blew it so many times in this upfront appearance. This was just the final pathetic shot of that interview. Rep. Robin Vos deserves a bad beer bath.
